Thousands took to the streets in Romania on Saturday for the third day in a row to demand a cleanup of the judiciary and an end to political interference.
The protest came after Recorder aired a damning investigation on Tuesday claiming abuses by judges and political interference to suspect high-level suspects.
People demonstrated in the capital, Bucharest and the cities of Cluj, Iași, Timișoara, Sibiu, Brașov, Ploiești, Suceava, Galați, Oradea, Constanța and Pitești demanding deep reforms and an end to political influence and concrete measures against corruption.
Demonstrators chanted “Respect, Raluca!”, referring to Bucharest Court of Appeal Judge Raluca Moroșanu who interrupted a press conference to describe alleged abuses. Protesters also called for the resignation of High Court chief judge, Lia Savonea.
In Bucharest, over 5,000 people gathered in Victoriei Square outside the government.
They yelled “Down with corruption” and demanded a fair legal system independent of internal pressures.
A protest is scheduled for Sunday evening.
The ‘Captured Justice’ film has high-ranking prosecutors and judges who describe how Romania’s judiciary is controlled politically. They detail how major corruption cases disappear into drawers, conscientious prosecutors and judges are punished by their superiors, and politicians and civil servants embezzle millions with impunity.
The film has almost 4 million views on YouTube and its the biggest talking point.
Romanian President Nicusor Dan has expressed his support for the report on his Facebook page, calling for more judicial reform.
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan told the media that he understood citizens’ frustration, promising that “serious problems in the system” would be corrected.
Romanian extremists have the same approach to corruption in the justice system as they do on Russia
